harmonica

noun

har·​mon·​i·​ca här-ˈmä-ni-kə How to pronounce harmonica (audio)
1
2
: a small rectangular wind instrument with free reeds recessed in air slots from which tones are sounded by exhaling and inhaling
harmonicist noun

Examples of harmonica in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the summer of 2014, Chris and Morgane, along with co-producer Dave Cobb, Stapleton’s drummer Derek Mixon and bassist J.T. Cure, and special guests Mickey Raphael on harmonica and Robby Turner on pedal steel guitar entered RCA’s famed Studio A in Nashville. Deborah Evans Price, Billboard, 29 May 2025 From there, the brothers rope in a boozy harmonica virtuoso named Delta Slim (Delroy Lindo), who only accepts the gig after the brothers agree to pay him in Irish beer. David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 10 Apr. 2025 One of many standouts on Too Low For Zero, longtime guitar player Davey Johnstone gets a co-write credit here (and Stevie Wonder chimes in on harmonica). Shana Naomi Krochmal, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025 He’s earned international esteem as a bandleader and collaborator with other singular artists like Afro-Swiss harmonica virtuoso Grégoire Maret, Japanese piano star Hiromi, and Cuban reed great Paquito D’Rivera. Andrew Gilbert, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for harmonica

Word History

Etymology

Italian armonica, feminine of armonico harmonious

First Known Use

1762, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of harmonica was in 1762

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Cite this Entry

“Harmonica.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/harmonica. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

harmonica

noun
har·​mon·​i·​ca här-ˈmän-i-kə How to pronounce harmonica (audio)
: a small musical instrument that is held in the hand and played by the mouth and that produces a sound through metal reeds which vibrate as air is blown or drawn past them

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